President Obama needs to energize voters by telling them how he will deal with structural economic issues holding down the middle class, Democratic pollsters and strategists said on Thursday.

At a Democratic National Convention event hosted by National Journal, The Atlantic and CBS News, panelists agreed that Obama needs to lay out his plans for improving the lives of the middle class. “The problem is not the recovery, the problem is the long-term loss of the middle class,” said strategist Stanley Greenberg. Public opinion analyst Peter Hart said those voters need “reassurance” to stick with Obama.

Panelists agreed that former President Clinton successfully set the stage for Obama to focus on the future. “He articulated what the choice was ... He cleared, in a way, the underbrush,” said Maria Echaveste, a former advisor to Clinton.

Obama must concentrate on energizing several key blocs, panelists said. “Unmarried woman were 69 percent for Obama [in 2008] … they are 60-61 percent now,” Greenberg said. Catalist founder Laura Quinn added: “With Hispanic voters, young voters -- whether they turn out is more the question than if they’re going to switch sides to the Romney folks.”